Questions to Ask Your Financial Planner

Review and evaluate your potential planners to determine if they are a right fit to meet your needs.

How to choose a CFP®?

You may be considering help from a financial planner for a number of reasons, whether it’s deciding to buy a new home, planning for retirement or your children’s education, or simply not having the time or expertise to get your finances in order. Whatever your needs, working with a financial planner can be a helpful step in securing your financial future.

You should interview and evaluate several financial planners to find the one that’s right for you. You will want to select a competent, qualified professional with whom you feel comfortable, one whose business style suits your financial planning needs.

Questions to Ask When Choosing a CFP®

These questions were recommended by the CFP Board when trying to find the perfect fit for your needs. We have included the answers they suggest along with answers from our CFP professionals in the office.

What experience do you have?

Find out how long the planner has been in practice and with what types of companies he has been associated. Ask for a brief description of work experience and how it relates to the planner’s current practice. CFP® professionals complete several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients prior to earning the right to use the CFP® certification trademarks.

At Atherton Wealth Advisors, we have 45-years of combined experience in the Rocklin/Roseville area working with individuals, families, small/medium sized businesses and their business owners. To receive their CFP certification, our planners all have Bachelor degrees from accredited colleges as well as an additional two and a half years of school and three years direct experience before their certification.

What are your qualifications?

Ask what licenses and other financial services credentials your planner holds. Find out how the planner stays current with changes and developments in the financial planning field. CFP® professionals expand their knowledge and stay up-to-date through mandatory continuing education courses. If the planner holds a financial planning designation or certification, you can check her background with the relevant professional organizations.

All of our advisors are licensed as Certified Financial Planners™, and California Life Insurance, Long Term Care, and Disability Representatives. In addition, Richard Gootee holds the Series 7, 63 and 24 licenses. Kimberly Ogden holds the Series 7, 66, 24 and 53 licenses, as well as the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation. And Rick Nelson holds the Series 7 and 66 licenses. Many advisors only hold a Series 7 and 63/66 credential, however we believe in bringing you a broad spectrum of knowledge. Each year we complete 30-hours of continued education training. Our registrations allow us to also oversee other Financial Planners and offer suggestions for their clients to build a financial plan that meets their needs longterm.

What services do you offer?

Financial planners offer different services depending on a number of factors, including credentials, licenses and areas of experience. Financial planners cannot sell insurance or securities products such as mutual funds or stocks without proper registrations, or give investment advice unless registered with state or Federal authorities.

All of our advisors are licensed as Certified Financial Planners™, and California Life Insurance, Long Term Care, and Disability Representatives. In addition, Richard Gootee holds the Series 7, 63 and 24 licenses. Kimberly Ogden holds the Series 7, 66, 24 and 53 licenses, as well as the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation. And Rick Nelson holds the Series 7 and 66 licenses. Our Comprehensive Financial Planning service encompasses all aspects of Financial Planning. This is the starting point for many of our clients. On top of giving a complete understanding of your financial picture, the Comprehensive Financial Plan can be customized to include budgeting, life, disability and long term insurance, investment management, retirement planning, college planning, debt management and much more. The customization of the Comprehensive Financial Plan fits your specific needs.

What is your approach to financial planning?

Make sure the planner’s investing philosophy isn’t too cautious or overly aggressive for you. Find out whether the planner will carry out the financial recommendations or refer you to others to implement his recommendations.

We like to teach. We are passionate about working with you to have the open and honest conversations you need to reach the goals you desire. Along the way we educate you on the choices you have available to allow you to make an educated and well thought out decision. We give you the resources you need to pursue the goals you desire. In our office, financial planning is YOUR life planning.

What types of clients do you typically work with?

Some financial planners prefer to work with clients whose assets fall within a particular range, so it’s important to make sure the planner is a good fit for your individual financial situation. Keep in mind that some planners require you to have a certain net worth or level of investable assets before they will offer services to you.

We do not require a certain amount of investable assets to work with us. We work with multi-generational families on an individual basis who are actively engaged in the process to meet their goals. When you meet a short term goal, we also help you celebrate and find joy in your accomplishments while maintaining your long terms goals.

Will you be the only person working with me?

Some financial planners work with their clients directly, and others have a team of people who help out. You may want to meet everyone you’ll be working with. If the planner works with professionals outside her own practice (such as attorneys, insurance agents or tax specialists) to carry out financial planning recommendations, get a list of their names to check on their backgrounds.

We provide our clients with a FULL support team of specialists and resources. Our clients work directly with their CFP in-house regarding their personal and financial goals, however we do offer other resources during decision making stages that we feel are also qualified and honest professionals in their field, i.e. mortgage brokers, real estate agents, CPAs, etc. These resources are only made available upon your request and are not affiliated with Atherton in any way.

How will I pay for your services?

Planners can be paid in several ways: through fees or commissions or a combination of both. As part of your written agreement, your financial planner should make it clear how they will be paid for the services to be provided.

Our Comprehensive Financial Planning is offered for a flat fee based on assets managed. We feel this gives you confidence in working with us and the ability to pick up the phone and have a conversation without the fear of billing. We are also compensated through commission on unique, individualized situations, which we would discuss at the beginning of our meeting.

How much do you typically charge?

Although what you pay the ﬁnancial planner will depend on your particular needs, the planner should be able to provide you with an estimate of possible costs based on the work to be performed. Costs should include the planner’s hourly rates, ﬂat fees, or the percentage of commission received on products you may purchase as part of the ﬁnancial planning recommendations.

Our Comprehensive Financial Planning is offered for a flat fee based on assets managed. The cost of the fee depends on your specific needs and can be discussed at the first introductory meeting.

Could anyone besides me benefit from your recommendations?

Some planners have business relationships or partnerships that can affect their professional judgment, preventing them from acting in your best interest. For example, financial planners who sell insurance policies, securities or mutual funds have a business relationship with the companies that provide these financial products. CFP® professionals agree to abide by a strict code of professional conduct and are required to disclose any such relationships.

It is illegal for us to be compensated for referring you to other professionals. We provide suggestions, resources and referrals based on a list of people we know, like and trust and share those with you. These people and resources have provided excellent services to us as well as our clients.

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